Refreshed

I drove seven hours down a dark, desolate, ice covered highway in a white out. I had to pry my cramped and sweating hands from the steering wheel when we arrived at our hotel. To save money and time, we ate slightly soggy garlic sausage sandwiches for dinner that my mother had made several hours before.

The boys immediately found their team mates and arranged an impromptu session at the hotel pool and water slide. I was the only mother available to supervise. There is no word in the English dictionary to to adequately describe the sound that 15 boys can make an enclosed pool.

I fell into bed at 8:30, giving instructions to my hyper sons to make sure they found their beds by 10. I drank my glass of wine and took my sleeping pill. Sometime during the night the child with whom I was sharing my bed had an "accident". A very wet and smelly accident. I was so exhausted I didn't realize this until the next night when I crawled back into my now very smelly and now cold, damp bed. It did explain the dream I had had of needing to take the diaper garbage out though.

We made our way to the rink and I watched my sons get annihilated by a much better team. Tanner, the goalie, made over 60 saves and won the MVP trophy for the game. The problem was that he also let in 10 goals and his team scored none. What mattered to them was that he was proud of himself, and Eric was slightly embarrassed by his own play. What mattered to me was that I watched an entire game without having to change a diaper or corral a runaway toddler.

There was just enough time to head to the grocery store to buy some snacks before returning to the rink. I laughed at the irony that I was actually IN a grocery store on my weekend off, and not only that, but enjoying exploring a DIFFERENT grocery store than the ones we have at home.

Back to the rink, and Eric was determined not to be over shadowed by his little brother winning that MVP trophy, so he decided to put on a show. Four goals later, and a very ill timed roughing penalty that cost him his own MVP trophy, Eric had led his team to victory. I now had two very happy and very proud sons with a mother who was relaxed.

Back to the hotel we went. A Team Dinner. A partial cooler (because I was way to tired to even finish a drink). And I was sound asleep in my slighly damp and very smelly bed by 9.

Back to the rink for 6:30 am and two more very entertaining games where both my boys played well and their team won the Most Sportsman-like Team trophy. We turned back up that highway in the middle of a snow storm for another harrowing drive.

And I came home to two sons and two daughters and the most amazing husband who happily replied to my 97 texts updating me on every bottle and diaper change throughout the weekend, including sending me pictures of what he dressed them in for church. He had been happy to describe how Miss Tiny had managed to get poo up her back and down to her elbows just so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

And the girls? Miss Curious curled into my lap, whined for a moment and hit me softly, and then gave me a wonderful kiss. The rest of our evening was full of cuddles and giggles and mama being put back to the top of the most loved list. Miss Tiny never faltered in her eye contact and slept through the night last night!!

It was busy and crazy and exhausting, and totally and completely glorious. I really, really needed it. Thanks for saying so.